Baby reunites with mother after being trapped under earthquake rubble for 128 hours

In February 2023, Turkey and Syria both experienced devastating losses due to a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Stories quickly came pouring out from the scene about old and young being rescued from under the rubble. But, one baby who was trapped for 128 hours beneath the rubble of the Turkey earthquake caught the attention of many.

The infant survived being buried alive and still had relatively good health. At the time, both of her parents were presumed dead. She was taken by authorities who even gave her the name Gizem, which means “mystery” in Turkish. But now we’re finding out that her story doesn’t end there.

According to Upworthy, the baby’s mother is alive and she and her child have been reunited after a long and hard 54 days apart.

Reuters reports that the baby’s real name is Vetin. Both baby and mother were being treated in hospitals in the same city of Adana. It’s not clear if they were in the same hospital or not. But despite being so close to each other, they didn’t find one another until much later. Vetin was transported by presidential plane to Ankara where she was to be taken in by the country’s family ministry. 54 days later, and one DNA test to prove their relationship, mother and daughter found each other again.

Derya Yanik, who serves as the Family and Social Services Minister, is credited with being the one to reunite the mother-daughter duo, Al Jazeera reports.

“One of the most priceless tasks in the world is reuniting a mother with her child,” Yanik shared. “Being a part of that happiness meant a lot to us as well.”

 “Vetin is now our baby, too,” the translated tweet says. “As the Ministry, our support will always be with you.”

Other members of their immediate family, Vetin’s father and two brothers, are unfortunately among the 50,000 people killed in the earthquake.

Natural disasters are an unfortunate part of our everyday lives. Yes, they’re scary. But, having an emergency plan is very important. Plus, here are some tips on how to talk to kids about natural disasters.